A New Journey
by Rook2Rose
Summary: The effect of the Narada event has taken it's toll on the way Star Fleet operates.New programs are implemented to speed up the process of training cadets.With this unusual situations start to arise.A bit OC centric but also contains K/S and other pairings
1. Chapter 1 Kale

A/N: Hey everybody, this is a collaboration between me and a good friend of mine. So heads up, our writing styles may vary slightly. Also this story revolves more around our OC characters, though not romantically, than it does the cannon characters and there will be hints of Spork and other pairings.

Disclaimer: Neither myself nor my friend own Star Trek in any way shape or form, if we did it would be very different.

Volatus (in latin) - flying , flight

This chapter takes place five years before the Narada Event.

Chapter One: Kale

In the vast ocean of space, the cargo ship Volatus was on it's way to deliver supplies to a small newly established colony. Though it's course now was somewhat altered from the one chartered in order to cut time down to something more manageable to the crew, who were anxious to return to their homes or simply receive a break from their long journey. Six weeks of cramped quarters, low quality food, and the ships constant need for maintenance were rattling nerves. However, not enough to cause out right fighting but enough to cause general annoyance for nearly everyone involved.

Two of the seemingly content crew members were currently playing a game of rock, paper, scissors to see who would get first pick of the ships endless list of maintenance jobs. They stood just in the doorway of their shared bedroom, one smirking the other frowning. "Paper beats rock, little bro." the winner said grinning. "That is such bullshit and you know it Kale. How the hell does paper beat rock?" the loser said frowning. "Those are the rules Jack; you should know that by now." The Argyle brothers began walking down the corridors to the engineering section.

Kale, the oldest of the two, had light brown hair that was cut short and messy, and his eyes were light grey color. He was currently wearing a lightweight black jacket over a grey t-shirt and blue jeans. His younger brother Jack had opted for a longer haircut and his eyes were a warm brown. He was wearing red long sleeved shirt and light blue jeans.

"I still say phasers should be included in the game. You win all the time."

"Then nobody would win. Besides you beat me last week."

"Yeah, once last week out of the 42 days we've been in space."

Kale rolled his eyes at his brother's complaints. "Be glad we have this job in the first place. Do you know how hard I had to work to convince Andrew that we'd be able to handle this? It took two months to prove to the guy that we were good enough to replace him."

"Which you didn't have to do by the way, I was doing just fine working in dad's car shop."

"No you weren't. I knew how much you wanted to go out into space. You could have joined Starfleet; you have the scores for it."

"I couldn't just abandon you like that Kale. Not after what happened to mom and dad." Jack said placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. The older of the two smiled and gave Jack a playful shove, "Stop acting like I would have died without you. I'm not your goddamn mother and that was a long time ago. You're starting to creep me out."

"Right and you didn't have a panic attack when the car I was working on blew up." Jack pointed out. Kale paused, as if to contemplate that bit of information. "Your right that little experiment nearly killed you, if you joined Starfleet your likely to blow up a whole ship. You're never leaving my sight again little brother!" Kale chuckled before grabbing Jack in a headlock. "Ack! Kale stop being so freaking over dramatic, let me go!" Jack shouted trying to get free of his brother's grip.

Eventually Jack broke away and their conversation continued as it had in previous days. The topic jumping from bits of gossip around the ship to recent engineering feats that they would have liked to get in on.

This was their normalcy, a constant that was appreciated. There were plenty of times Kale had been sure he had lost everything. There was the fire that took his parents and home, the aforementioned explosion that nearly killed his brother. He would never admit aloud but if his brother had joined with Starfleet, he would have worried. He knew the statistics fairly well, new recruits had to be careful not to be injured or killed more so than those who had the experience to handle bad situations. He was grateful for this normalcy.

That's when the world tilted and the ship gave a shuddering groan. Normal crumbled away into chaos. He and fellow crewmembers struggled to stay upright, and listen to the static filled message from the bridge. They were being attacked and were trying to escape, engineers needed to get to their stations right away. That was all the information they got, it was all the information they really needed.

There was no time to argue over who had to do what. The focus had to remain on keeping the ship functioning long enough to get away or call for help. Kale let his mind fixate on the task at hand and not the overwhelming fear that threatened to swallow him. He allowed things to be cut down in short bursts, taking things one step at a time.

He hadn't noticed Jack running off.

The ship had been hit on the portside, but still able to escape. People ran to fix the damage which sparked and flared from various panels. Panic was loud and all too visible among the crew. The cargo ship rocked again as it was hit once more. Too much damage to the engines now, escape by warp was impossible but they still had impulse power.

They were turning away from the attacking ship, heading for a nearby planet.

There was still hope to escape.

The Volutas gave another shudder, and sparks flew from electrical panels. Metal groaned under the stress, there wasn't enough power to pull away from the gravitation of the planet. Someone had miscalculated their trajectory.

The attacking ship no longer dogged them, the job was already done. They were going to crash.

Kale was unsure of when he left his station, or if he even had done it of his own volition. All he knew was the pull of gravity, the singular moment of flight when they hit the ground, and the darkness that engulfed him with a resounding crack.

He was unsure of how long he had been there, unconscious to everything around him. It was the sounds of panic that filled his ears once again but also sounds of pain and crying. His eyes opened to find only more darkness edged with dim light. He laid there for some time, staring at the ceiling, dim light slowly becoming brighter and world clearer. When he finally turned his head to see what was happening, the sight of survivors searching for the injured and dead greeted him. Suddenly a man he knew as Henry was beside him, leaning over him with a worried expression.

"Kale, Jesus your alive! How are you feeling? Can ya stand up?" Henry's voice was rushed and panicked.

Kale nodded slowly and pushed himself up to a sitting position with the man's help, "I feel like someone took a bat to my head. What's going on?"

Henry just shook his head, "A horrible mess that's what. Come on, we need to get you out of the wreckage before something worse decides to happen."

Kale allowed himself to be pulled up and helped towards the exit. As they walked, careful to avoid twisted broken metal and still sparking wires, Kale could see the extent of the damage that had been done. People were shouting, digging through collapsed pieces of the ships ceilings searching for others, there were far off voices calling for help. At least there was one good sign. This crew might not be Starfleet but at least they acted quickly to help each other.

Kale's mind drifted towards his little brother and he looked at the faces around him in hopes that he would see him. There was no such luck but he knew that his brother must have been around here somewhere. Jack wouldn't die on him that easily.

It took several manual jeffery tube ladders to the lower deck to get to the hole in the ship that people were now using as an entrance and exit. Outside of the ship wasn't any better. From what he could see, the crash had torn and burned a long stretch of trees and made a ditch of dirt. The dead had been placed off to the side in rows, scavenged blankets from the ship covering their forms, while the injured sat on the other side. Those uninjured tended to them the best they could but there were some who seemed to be too far-gone.

Henry moved Kale over to a tree and made him sit down. "Stay here, alright? I need to go help search for other survivors." Henry said pausing only to see Kale nod before leaving him alone.

Kale would have gotten up to help, he would have gone searching for his brother, but the pounding dizziness in his skull kept him firmly grounded. So he sat there, watching as the numbers of the dead and injured steadily grew. He closed his eyes, to rest for only awhile.

However, he woke to find Henry was standing in front of him, asking him to wake up, and the sky was now dark. A fire had been lit to light the area. Kale stared at Henry's face, taking in the look of pity and sadness.

"What? What's going on?" he asked fear clutching at his heart.

"Kale, we found your brother…" There was no explanation needed, the tone and the look on his face said enough. The words only made it worse. "I'm sorry, Kale, he was already gone by the time we got to him …"

Kale was up in an instant, looking past Henry to see the others settle a new body among the rows that grown since he had fallen asleep. Breath caught in his lungs and for a moment, he felt all too numb. He did not know he had been walking over until he was already there, the words his mind had been repeating now tumbling from his mouth.

_No, no, no, Jack,_ "no, no, no, oh god, no, no, no, no," _you're not supposed to die, I promised to take care of you Jack, nonononono NO!_

His own hands tugged at his hair, as if the pain would wake him from this nightmare. But he couldn't, his brother, his friend, lay there, eyes closed, skin pale, cold, and smudged and cut but not bleeding, the was blood crusted over and hard.

There was no life to be found in this body.

He hadn't realized that he had fallen to his knees until he was holding Jacks hand, almost willing there to be life again but knowing it was too late for any of that.

Half-heartedly he listened to someone explain, "There wasn't anything we could do, from what we can tell his spine had snapped during the crash."

He didn't hear the rest, apologies and pity. Nobody else had brought family along on this trip even though it should have been relatively safe. He had thought Jack would be safe, shit like this wasn't supposed to happen. Why were they attacked in the first place? They didn't have weapons, the ship wasn't built for battle, they weren't carrying cargo that was all that special, hell they weren't even part of Starfleet!

He hadn't even realized he was sobbing until he felt a hand on his trembling shoulders, "You can't stay here all night…"

Kale looked up but couldn't place the name to the face in the dim fire light and neither did he want to. He shook his head in reply and shoved the hand off his shoulder.

"Leave me alone…" he muttered miserably.

"You need to leave the body alone. It's not healthy." the man urged.

Anger boiled up unexpectedly, Kale had no idea where it came from over the sadness he was feeling, but he shouted, "I said fuck off!"

He watched the man back off and eventually leave to join the others around the fire. Kale looked away and stayed to watch over his brother, if only to keep any alien animals from taking him. As he sat there, he looked up at the rows of dead. His brother was one of many, the crew may have been small in comparison to any of those in Starfleet, but even the estimated half was still a large number. In the morning, they would have to be buried or the rest of the crew could risk attracting diseases or dangerous animals. In the morning, his younger brother would be six feet underground on some foreign planet. When they are rescued, as he hoped was going to happen soon, he would probably never be able to return the gravesite.

He looked over at the survivors and a lot weren't in great shape. A good chunk were barely alive or at the least immobile. They had no doctors, certified ones in any case, and had to make do with the minimal. If rescue didn't come soon, a lot of them were going to die slow deaths.

Sighing, Kale turned to look at his brother's now cold body. As hard as it was, he had to let go for now. He couldn't afford to be taken ill by whatever diseases were attracted to the rotting bodies. He released his brother's hand and removed his jacket, covering the body in hopes to keep at least some insects away.

"I'm sorry, I was supposed to take care of you and I couldn't…," he murmured softly.

There was nothing he could say that would make the feeling of loss go away. Instead, he stood and walked a bit away so he could keep any eye out until morning.

…Things did not get better from there.

In the morning, the mobile survivors did their best to bury the dead. But the ground was full of roots and was hard to dig without the proper tools. So the graves were shallow. This attracted, as was expected, several unwelcomed guests. Insects constantly attacked those with open wounds and large carnivores dug up the graves at night, taking the bodies with them. Those who were sick only got worse.

The natives, a race of humanoid feathered reptiles whose spine and front of the head were covered in hard bone plating, watched them from a distance constantly. At first, the natives had tried to approach in a peaceful manner, but the survivors were wary and didn't want to violate any of the non interference laws. Apparently understanding that they were unwanted, the natives backed off but continued to watch.

The survivors scavenged what they could from the ship and its cargo. But with no weapons they had no way to defend themselves, and with no way to tell what plants of this planet were edible the food that they had would only last so long.

They were dying, there was no way around it. They had gone off course and the short cut would make it inevitable that any distress signal would go unheard. Kale could see that clearly, and though he mourned for his brother, he would not allow himself to be killed.

Within a week, he had made up his mind and sought out the natives, leaving the others to the fate they had chosen.

A month passed by and the other survivors were all dead from various causes.

A year passed by and he had given up hope on being found.

Five years passed by and he accepted that he was stuck on this alien planet, never to be found again.


	2. Chapter 2 Denali

Hey, hey! Tis Roselynde this time! Yes, as you are aware Rook2Pwn and I are writing this together. And while we will obviously be checking each other to match our styles as close as possible, there will obviously be some discrepancies, we will try our damndest to minimize this, so if you see something goobered up, feel free to let us know.

Now, as much as I looooooooove Star Trek, all characters are copyright to Gene Roddenberry and the 2009 movie to J.J. Abrams.

Okay, so here's a quick heads up. Rook2Pwn and I are writing from different angles. Rook's primary character is going to be Kale. I will be writing for Danny. Now we will mark the title with who's writing it, but obviously the characters will be interacting so these more than likely will not be titled individually with who is the lead character in the chapter.

Also, keep in mind, that both of us do have separate accounts here on . If you want to speak with one of us individually, just feel free to poke. Or if you have general concerns, comments, hearts, or anything, send it to our joint account.

Anyway, on with the show!

~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~

Note from Roselynde: This is now occurring roughly a year after the Narada incident.

Since the events concerning the Narada, the training of the midshipmen on the command track had been altered in order to give the cadets real world experience. So, midway through the third year at the Academy, midshipmen were placed aboard the remaining fleet vessels and completed a year alongside the captain and their command staff to be graded by them. While completing assigned duties and tasks, the cadets also had to study for the exams that they would be taking upon their return, one year later. After their return, debriefing and exams, graduation awaited where they would receive their official assignments.

Sighing lightly, midshipman Denali Morgan stepped from the transporter pad, standard issue Starfleet duffel bag tossed over one shoulder, the rest of her belongings having already been forwarded to the ship she was to serve aboard. Tugging lightly at her gray, double breasted uniform jacket, Denali; call me Danny, Morgan strode easily though the crowds aboard the Earth Base. She had been told to report to Admiral Pike for her assignment, a task that wasn't in the slightest bit bothersome since she had known the Admiral for several years. Making her way down several corridors to a small conference room, Danny checked her PADD to be sure she had the right room before knocking. Once she'd received permission, the young midshipman entered, promptly saluting the Admiral, and smiling faintly, she relaxed and stepped forward to give the man a hug.

"Danny-girl, you're looking lovely." He smiled, releasing her at last.

She grinned softly, pushing her blonde bangs out of her eyes, and taking a seat at last. Denali was dressed in her standard uniform, something she would be wearing on board as well in order to give her designation as a cadet. Feathered blonde locks fell to her shoulders while her bangs had been allowed to grow too just past her collarbones. Still within regulation, but giving her a rather startling appearance with the soft frame around her features, drawing attention to the brilliant blue eyes that were sharp and attentive.

"Are you still playing guitar?" He asked softly, putting off business for a few minutes as he reacquainted himself with the young woman he had come to see as something of a daughter in the past several years.

"Of course. Back at the Academy there are several of us who have gotten together to play. We've actually been tapped to play at our own graduation party, which should be a blast." She replied. The instrument in question had actually been a gift from the Admiral when she was young and in the hospital with a severe illness, and she'd simply kept up with it, a fact made obvious by the thick calluses' on the tips of her fingers.

"Good!" Pike grinned affectionately, moving on to more serious topics at last, "I'm concerned however with your health, I understand that Starfleet has allowed you to continue so long as your condition does not interfere with your duties or studies. Is that going to be a problem while you're on duty this year?"

She shook her head softly, "No sir. My records are sealed so that only the Science officer and the CMO will be able to see them. The treatment I'm on is easy enough that I can administer the medications after I'm off duty and if necessary I can keep them with me if something should arise that I need an emergency dose."

"Good. You're a promising young officer; I would hate to see you removed because of something that is easily treatable. I take it your brother doesn't know does he?" He commented.

She shook her head faintly, "I'd like to keep it that way. We're not close anymore and the less he has to worry, the better. I'd also appreciate it if you could keep my parents from figuring out where I am. I left home for a reason and I want a fresh start."

Pike nodded softly, frowning, "You became an emancipated minor, correct?" At her answering nod, he smiled, "Then you don't have to worry. As far as Starfleet is concerned, your business is your own, and since you're not officially on the crew of the ship, then checking roster's won't help. I'll do what I can on this end, Danny-girl; just keep yourself out of trouble."

Danny smiled, taking it in stride. She'd worked hard to get where she was, becoming the first in her class and maintaining top grades so that she could overcome the stigma of those who knew of her illness. Her hard work had paid off, leading to this moment where she would be escorted on board one of the Starfleet Constitution class vessels to serve for a year and gain valuable experience that she could put to use once she'd received her official commission. Thus, it was with a slight jump of nervousness as the door was knocked on once more, that she rose, falling into a parade rest with her hands at the small of her back, as Admiral Christopher Pike granted admissions to the newcomer.

Dressed in Science Blue, the first officer for her ship entered… alone, "Admiral, I must apologize on behalf of my captain, he had matters to see to onboard the Enterprise." Science officer and First Officer, Spock, commented, also falling into a parade rest and not bothering to spare a glance at the young cadet who would be spending her time onboard his vessel.

"Understandable. Mr. Spock, may I present Midshipman Denali Morgan, she's the cadet that you and Captain Kirk were contacted about." Pike responded calmly.

Denali saluted the commander respectfully, "Sir, I look forward to my service aboard the Enterprise." The last bit was said rather coolly, tension evident in her posture.

"Indeed, I have reviewed your Academic records and find several of your published papers to be a unique insight into transwarp dynamics and in Xenobiology identification practices." Spock intoned, finally turning his gaze to the blonde who stood off to one side.

"Thank you, sir. I try to learn the most I can about a wide variety of topics. I'm glad that you were able to take time to review some of my work. Perhaps later, you could offer me some insight on things I might improve on." She replied, returning to rest.

Spock nodded in acknowledgement, raising an eyebrow slightly as he became aware of her discomfort. For the moment, he pushed it aside, saluting the admiral as he took his leave, turning to leave and expecting the cadet to follow. Rolling her eyes, Danny scooped up her bag and looked over at the Admiral who was watching with barely concealed amusement and jogged to follow the Vulcan officer. The Enterprise was the one ship she dreaded. And yet, because of her class ranking, she had been assigned to the flagship. It was of course just her luck to get assigned to the ship that her brother was posted on.

"Since you are already familiar with transporter use, we will forego the traditional shuttle flight and simply beam aboard. Our arrival is expected, and you will be meeting with the captain before retiring to your berth to settle in. The rest of your belongings are already there." Spock commented tonelessly, not bothering to check and see if he was being followed.

It was a scene being repeated numerously through the base, eager young cadets scurrying after commanding officers on their way back to their posts. Danny just sighed slightly, jogging slightly to catch up before finally matching the Vulcan's stride, slinging her duffel bag once more over her shoulder.

"Afterwards, you will be expected to report to sickbay in order to receive a physical for your file on board, and then the rest of the day is yours. It would be prudent of you to familiarize yourself with the ship in order to prevent confusion later." The commander said; stepping onto the transporter pad she'd vacated only a short time ago.  
Spock flicked open his communicator, buzzing the Enterprise before requesting beam up for two. The effect was still rather disconcerting, giving the feeling of being stretched out impossibly long before being squished back into a corporeal form at the destination point. Stumbling slightly, Danny stepped from the transporter pad, blinking as she stared around at the transporter room on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. As much as she would have liked to take her time to examine her new surroundings, she was given no time, and simply scurried after the Commander, tucking her duffel bag behind herself to avoid smacking it into someone.

"Sorry!" Danny squeaked, helping a yeoman to regain her balance after having run into the woman, before cursing softly and dodging through the crowd to catch up with the Commander again, "Everybody runs into the midshipman. The curse of invisibility must be the gray or something."

Spock simply raised an eyebrow, though decided not to comment on the illogic of that statement. He paused outside of the door and typed something into a PADD before handing it to the young cadet. She cocked her head, looking down at the diagram and noticed a small notation about what was apparently her berth.  
"This is where the Captain waits for you. Noted on that map is your room. It would be in your best interest to keep that with you until such time as you have memorized your way around the ship. Also contained on that PADD is your duty roster. You will be rotating between the departments for two weeks to become familiar with the activities and will report to the department chief there. Afterwards, you will be spending time on the bridge at each station to learn the controls. You will also be accompanying various away missions in order to gain a better understanding of how field operations are conducted. If you are then deemed fit you may be tapped to lead an away mission or take the Conn." He knocked on the door without waiting for an answer, and entered as soon as the door slid open.

Denali was dimly aware of Commander Spock addressing the Captain, though she was distracted at the moment as she studied the PADD, waiting to be called upon. At the sudden silence, she looked up, promptly swearing viciously as she caught sight of the man across from her. James T. Kirk, youngest captain in Starfleet, was propped on two chair legs, feet kicked up on the conference table as he shot darts into a dartboard conveniently poised on the ceiling. She managed to raise an eyebrow before stuffing her PADD into one of the pockets on her cargo pants and folded her arms over her chest.

"Really? You're tossing darts at a ceiling? Great use of the ship's time and resources. Don't you have anything better to be doing? Something, oh… I don't know, important?" She snapped impatiently, completely foregoing any semblance of decorum.

Commander Spock raised an eyebrow in his own right, clearly about to interrupt. Kirk swung his feet off the desk and leaned forward to face the cadet, resting on one elbow as he grinned cockily.  
"Course I do! The first one just involves waiting to hear back from the admiral to get you off my ship." He was still smiling as he said it.

"You are such a prick! Didn't you take classes in management, or were you too busy screwing your latest conquest to attend?" Danny frowned, cocking her hip as she settled in for a fight.

Jim snapped to his feet, about to reply when the intercom beeped, signaling the Admiral's incoming transmission. He pressed a button to allow it through before turning to face the screen, greeting Admiral Christopher Pike. Commander Spock stepped forward at last, clearing his throat politely to gain the attention of both Admiral and Captain.

"Captain, Admiral, perhaps it would be for the best if I escort the cadet to her berth so that she may become settled for the journey." It was more of a statement than a question, and both knew it.

"That'll work. Mr. Spock, I'll see you on the bridge later." Kirk acknowledged before turning his attentions once more to the Admiral.

Taking the hint, Danny stepped backwards for the door without needing to be prompted, waiting patiently until Spock joined her, one eyebrow already raised. She slung her duffel over her shoulder, pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes, silently cursing her inability to keep her mouth shut around Jim. Danny opened one eye as she caught sight of Commander Spock standing beside her, quickly dropping her hand.

"Your behavior was most unacceptable for a cadet addressing a senior officer. I am aware that you and the captain are indeed related, however, I will remind you only this once to put your personal thoughts aside on the matter and to conduct yourself as a proper officer." The words were sharp, leaving no room for argument.

"Aye sir. It won't happen again." She replied; feeling fairly embarrassed for having snapped so suddenly at him. She hadn't seen him in almost six years, and instead of saying hello, she'd started right in on berating him.

She and James were in truth half siblings. Born from the same mother through her second marriage, the two had been close when they were younger. However, events conspired against them and her brother grew distant, until they could barely tolerate each other's presence for extended periods of time. Things being what they were, it seemed that the two of them would suddenly be working in close quarters for the time being.

"See that you do. I have other duties to attend to before we leave port, I trust that you will be able to keep up with your appointment in sickbay and find your berth on your own." He commented dryly.

"Yes sir." Danny snapped a salute before turning and tugging her PADD once more from her pocket to pull up the map of the ship.

One hand on the strap of her bag, the other hand occupied as she started for the turbolift. It was rather nice that she'd been put on the same floor as most other officers, and had access to the officer's mess, however, it also reinforced that her duties were going to be above what would ordinarily be expected of a cadet. Danny was well aware that there were at least five dozen other cadets on board serving in the departments of their specialty so that they too could gain first-hand knowledge. Hopefully, all things going well, they'd be able to meet up, and perhaps help each other study, or perhaps to simply just relax. All of this of course, depended on there actually being any free time to manage such things. Oh the joys of serving after the Narada.

Thankfully, the turbolift was empty. With a small sigh, the midshipman grabbed one of the handles, checking which deck she needed, "Deck Five," and shifting her weight as she zipped along to her destination. Apparently, most of her belongings had already been sent along, however, just because she was on the officer deck, did not mean that they'd been put away. That particular luxury was generally only reserved for the commanding officers.

"Four f… four f… ah! Okay… room 133…" She muttered faintly, counting the doors before finally finding hers.

Denali checked one more time on the instructions before finally keying in the access code and walking into the dimly lit room. The moment she stepped in, the lights brightened and she blinked. Everything had been put away neatly, the sliding closet left open to show several different outfits, ranging from her casual civilian clothes to her jumpsuits and several spare uniforms. Below were her shoes, lined up neatly while the chest of drawers showed evidence of all of her remaining clothes being put up. Sitting on the desk were her PADD's and memory disks while in the corner, her guitar had been propped against a chair.

"Huh… guess this is a 'welcome to the ship' from someone." Idly, the young cadet flopped her duffel onto the end of her bed, quickly unpacking the remainder of her clothes and storing them away with her duffel.

Once the task was completed, Danny stripped out of her jacket, laying it carefully on the back of her desk chair before slipping out of her boots. Beneath her uniform, she wore a lightweight exoskeleton to help protect her from everyday activities. One of the things she'd put away, a stronger exoskeleton for away missions. Both were guaranteed to keep her from breaking anything, and were easily concealed beneath her uniforms. Generally, her second exoskeleton came with a set of gloves that were woven through with duranium fibers that she wore to protect her hands while on missions.

With a groan, she plopped down on her bunk, calling for the computer to wake her at 14:00 ship time so that she could make her appointment. After dimming the lights, Danny stretched out languidly, finally allowing her exhaustion to swim to the surface and quickly drag her down into the depths of sleep.

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_ Rubbing at her eyes softly, the little girl slid into her slippers before tucking her soft shoulder length blonde curls back with a purple bandana. Quickly, she snatched a silver chain from the bedside table and checked the pendant, small fingers palming the catch lightly to reveal a whimsical scene on one side and on the other, a small ticking watch. She snapped it shut and slid it on under her pajama top before pattering away from her bed and out into the hall after grabbing her satchel. The hospital was quiet this early in the morning with most of the patients enjoying breakfast, something she'd already finished._

_ The youngster darted over to the elevator, sliding in just before the door shut. An elderly nurse chuckled lightly, and reached over, patting the blonde on the head before tapping the button for the seventh floor. It was a well known fact that the little girl preferred the seventh floor for the gorgeous view of the hospital gardens, and she could often be found curled in a chair near one of the windows while doing some of her homework or simply playing quietly by herself. _

_ When the door slid open on her floor she walked over to her favorite window but found it to be occupied by a little boy sitting in _her_ chair. The girl narrowed her eyes and frowned as she approached the boy, "What are you doing by my window?" she demanded. _

_The boy looked over at her, blinking in confusion for a moment before looking over the window, "I don't see your name on it." he pointed out, shaking his head as he checked under the sill… and behind the curtains._

_ Glaring at him, she quickly pulled out a sticky note pad from her satchel, writing her name on one before slapping it on the window, "My window, see!" she shouted pointing at the note._

_Again the boy blinked before shrugging his shoulders and standing up, "I guess so."_

_ "Why are you here anyway? You don't look sick." the little girl asked. _

"_I'm lost. I tried usin' my compass but it's not working. This place is really confusing." the boy admitted. _

"_It's not gonna work in here, it must be all the electronics." she said._

"_Compasses don't work that way."_

"_Well how do you know?"_

"_Cause papa said a compass always points north cause of magnets. There's no magnet here to mess it up."_

"_So where do you need to go then?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest._

"_Well, mama and papa had to bring my lil brother here 'cuz he got really sick… and then papa said I could go get a soda, but then I couldn't figure out the way back, and then I ended up here." He shrugged faintly._

"_Uhm… well if he's here, then he'd be up in the kid's floor. An' I know where it is too!" She planted her hands on her hips, feeling rather proud of herself._

"_That why you're in your jammies too?" The boy asked faintly, pointing over at her purple outfit._

_She cocked her head and looked down at herself. She was dressed in a lavender long-sleeved pajama top with matching bottoms, patterned with tiny Starfleet insignia's. They were one of her favorite pairs… a gift from her big brother at her last birthday. The youngster huffed, looking up at him as she shifted her satchel around, raising one eyebrow in challenge, the dark rings below her eyes standing out starkly._

"_You gotta problem with it?" _

"_Nope! Just askin' is all."_

"_Uh huh, right." She huffed again, turning around and yanking her necklace out of her shirt to check the time again, before nodding, and tucking it away. _

_Without a second thought, the youngster reached back, snagging her new companion's wrist and tugging him back the way she'd come, "I'm Denali by the way! Though everyone calls me Danny!"_

"_Uh, K-"_

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"The time is now 14:00 Standard ship time." The computer intoned cheerfully.

Groaning softly, Danny shoved herself up, staring blearily around the room as she dragged herself out of sleep's grasp. Wrinkling her nose, she thought back to the already fading dream before shifting around to stuff her feet back into her boots. With that accomplished, she finally got up, shuffling over to her desk to grab her uniform jacket before slipping into it. After buttoning the top, she grabbed the belt that had been laid out earlier and hooked her PADD to the side. Once she was ready, Danny set off, having already memorized the way to Sickbay. She had a funny feeling that she'd be spending quite a bit of time there, so it seemed prudent to have at least one place already in her head…other than her own quarters.

The entire journey, including turbolift ride, took only fifteen minutes, which gave her fifteen to spare. Of course, the idea of sitting around and waiting went right out the window when the CMO leaned out of the open door and grabbed her by the shoulder, tugging her in. Danny squeaked in surprise, tripping over her own feet as she struggled to catch her balance and turn around at the same time.

He wasted no time, pushing her over to a biobed and whipping out his tricorder, scanning away. Despite the scowl, she thought he was rather handsome, if a bit rough around the edges. However, since he was the CMO, then he had to be rather competent at what he was doing. She blinked, barely listening as he muttered annoyedly.

"Dammit girl! I'm a doctor, not a babysitter! You should not even be on board this ship, let alone in Starfleet!" He snapped, putting the instrument away and preparing a hypo.

Denali managed a faint squeak as her neck was jabbed rather unceremoniously with the cold metal, "You don't have to be a babysitter! I can manage on my own you know!" She snapped right back.

"Yeah, I'm sure you can, probably about as well as Jim can." McCoy frowned, raising an eyebrow in his own right at the cadet's sass.

"He's careless! I'm not! So get the wrinkle out from between your eyebrows and deal!"

The eyebrow in question inched just a little bit higher, "Huh… I think you might just grow on me yet. You check out kid, just report here every week an hour before your duty shift for a checkup. You fail it, you don't go on shift. Got it?"

"Aye sir." She grinned ever so slightly, hopping down from the bed.

"Oh don't give me that 'sir' bullshit. You can call me what everyone else does. Bones." The doctor harrumphed faintly, holding out his hand.

"Denali. I go by Danny." She grinned openly this time, meeting his hold.

"Alrighty then. Get out of my sickbay kid." McCoy shooed her towards the door.

"Oi! I'm not a kid!"

"No, but you're still short. Therefore, kid." He chuckled slightly, shaking his head as she headed for the door.

No sooner had she reached the door, that the ship wide intercom came to life, "This is the Captain speaking…"


	3. Chapter 3

Note from Roselynde: Hey guys! Just wanted to say thanks! Rook and I have been really surprised by how many visitors we've had to this. Big thanks to lele the drama queen for her review! We'd love to have more of them! Also, thanks to Black-Dirge and to Con4ti for putting our story on alert! We are absolutely thrilled and can't wait to get more of this story out for you guys.

Please! Read and review and we will send each person a personal note and reply to any comments or concerns you have!

So, without further ado! Here you are!

~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~

Chapter 3

"At precisely 13:00 standard ship time, Starfleet received word of a distress signal originating from the fifty-five Cancri system. Within the hour, we will be setting out for the system in order to locate the signal and rescue any survivors. Arrival time is approximately in twenty-three hours. All cadets, report to your department heads. Cadets training for command are to report to me in the ready room. Captain out."

"Saddle up kid, looks like its back to the Rodeo!" McCoy called.

"Yeehaw! It's about time!" She called back, jogging towards the turbolift amongst the growing crowds.

Danny halted at the back of the small group, waiting for the turbolift when a hand plopped down on her shoulder, causing her to yelp embarrassingly and jump. Several personnel chuckled, shaking their heads at the antics. She spun around, swatting the much taller midshipman. He laughed, ruffling the blonde's hair playfully as she grinned and bounced up to give her friend a hug.

"Gabriel! I didn't know you were posted here!" She huffed, planting her hands on her hips and craning her neck back to meet his gaze.

"You can thank Admiral Pike for that. He decided you might need some company after all. Cecily, Caleb, Alec, and Serraph were all assigned to the Farragut-A since the rosters were all full here, otherwise we might've all been on the same ship." He explained.

"Awesome sauce." Denali grinned wider as the two stepped into the turbolift, stating their destinations.

"Really? You're still saying that?" He questioned.

"Well duh."

He snorted in response, rolling his hazel eyes at his smaller companion. As soon as the lift doors opened on deck eight, the two bumped fists. Gabriel chuckled and jogged away, joining a small group of cadets wearing red turtle necks beneath their gray jackets just as he was. Another group quickly entered and once more, they were off. Denali ignored the excited babble of her companions, finally stepping out onto the bridge with three of her classmates.

Of the four, she was the only female, and the smallest. Standing at only five feet tall, she was often underestimated because of her size, yet her classmates had come to learn that she packed one hell of a right hook. The entire bridge was organized chaos, with officer's relaying orders to the cadets in their departments and preparing to leave port. The officer's were well trained, and simply directed the four towards a door. The door in question slid open automatically and the small group entered, spreading out into a line at one end of the table and falling into a parade rest.

The youngest captain in Starfleet gestured lightly and the four took their seats, flipping through the data PADD's before them. He waited patiently for them to finish before leaning back comfortably and finally addressing them.

"You four are here because you show the most promise. So, before we get started, let's have introductions. Name, hometown, and why you're here." He glanced to his right.

Short black hair was twisted up into spikes while his dark eyes were sharp and focused, "Telash Sinclair. I'm from New Montana and I joined Starfleet to find out everything I can about what's out there." He had the same eagerness that they all shared.

On Sinclair's left sat Danny, "Denali Morgan. River City, Iowa. I'm here because I want to make a difference."

Across from her sat a brunette who arched one slender brow over startling green eyes, "Mikael Telinsky. Raised on the Lunar colonies. Joined up for the same reason Sinclair did, really."

Lastly, the young man with eyes a blue so odd it shone lavender in the light. "J.T. Steranko. Mars is my home and I joined up to make something happen in my life and do some good while I'm at it."

"Good! My staff has already been briefed on the situation, so I'll fill you guys in. From now on, you four are to attend all mission briefings, and you'll rotate on actual missions in alpha order," Kirk waited until they'd all nodded, "And keep to the bridge as we leave port since eventually you guys are going to be calling those shots.

"Anyway, what we've got right now is more of a mystery. The signal was picked up by a passing freighter and then the location was relayed to Starfleet. The actual planet is class M, though as to what kind of life forms, if any, are on the planet, is unknown since it hasn't been mapped yet. The mission is simple; retrieval of any survivors and clean up of the debris in accordance with the prime directive. We'll have to take a shuttle in because of the atmospheric conditions, but that shouldn't pose a problem. Once we know exactly what's down there, we'll be able to send crews down in order to pick up debris. Any questions? No? Good! Then that's all for now. Check things out on the bridge and help out where you can. Dismissed."

With that, the captain stood, as did the four midshipmen, all heading for the door, "Cadet Morgan, a word if you would."

She winced slightly, feeling it was inevitable and turned, tucking her hair back behind an ear, "Yes sir?"

"About this morni-"

"I'm sorry!" Danny managed to squeak out, blushing ever so slightly, "I, uh… shouldn't have slammed you, and it was way out of line… and…"

"Same here… look; I know we're stuck with each other for a while, so let's just make the best of it alright?" Jim quested finally, placing his hands on her shoulders reassuringly.

She smiled slightly, "Yeah, I think we can manage that."

"Why aren't you using your whole last name anyway?" He asked at last.

"I thought that was obvious. If I used the hyphenated, Morgan-Kirk, then it's a whole big can of worms and everyone compares me to you. Plus, it'd be weird if anyone on the crew found out, then it could be seen as me getting favors or some such nonsense. Besides, I don't want to live in anyone's shadow, I want my own life." The last part was said quietly as she managed another small smile.

"I know what you mean there," He referred to his own father in that regard, "Alright, we'll swing it. Get going pipsqueak!"

Danny laughed; grinning genuinely at last and leaving a few steps ahead of her half brother, taking up a post near the tactical station and listening to the eager young Russian explain what the controls were. Jim took the center chair, crossing one leg over the other before giving the orders to head out.

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In retrospect, the turbulence wasn't that bad. However, it was enough to make Chief Medical Officer Leonard McCoy turn a little green around the gills, something that made Jim tease him incessantly all the way down to the planet surface. Danny chuckled softly, patting Bones on the back lightly for a moment before tugging on her gloves as the shuttle came to a rest in a small clearing.

"Alright! Everyone got their gear? Good! Mr. Spock you take point. Bones, if you're gonna hurl, aim for someone else other than me." Jim grinned over at his friend.

The doctor glared at him grumpily as he gathered up his tricorder and med kit. Danny gathered up her wits, picking up her own tricorder and her pack before turning to follow the three officers out the door.

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The native's of this planet, Cancri 2, as outsiders knew it, began the day just as they had every other day of their lives. Hunters' readied spears, elders watched the skies and the surrounding jungle for signs danger, children gathered to play, and many set about collecting food and materials for later chores. Everything was as it should be, and possibly would be for a very long time.

The natives were somewhat humanoid but were far more reminiscent of lizards than mammals. Squared muzzles with large nostrils and hard bone platting covering their skulls and spines. The lower jaw was flexible muscled cartilage, which could open like pincers and snap back together, making a rapid clicking noise that made up a large part of how they communicated. On the back of the head and at the end of the thick tail were feathers.

One stranger was among them, a human trapped by circumstances he could not have control, and he had also prepared for the day. Kale washed his face in a bowl of water, rinsing away any dirt from the previous day. It wasn't much but at the very least it made him feel somewhat cleaner. Water was a hard to collect resource, even with the irrigation system that had been completed a year before. The system was nearly always clogging up with dirt and leaves or broken by animals. However, it was better than traveling out to the streams or ponds.

The only human in this village looked up and over at the entrance to his small home when heard whistling. To anyone else it might have sound like a loud, low-pitched bird whistle but over the years Kale had learned to decode the Palkwe's two languages. The basic one was something like Morse code, a string of clicks and whistles that was the easiest to pick up. At the moment someone was calling him. From the sound of it, something exciting was happening.

Exiting the hut he had built for himself one of the younger hunters was speaking rapidly, _"A flying box, one that looks like the one that you came from!" _Kale's eyes widened, immediately he thought of the crash that brought him here, one that had killed so many people. "Was it falling? Was it burning?"he asked quickly in turn. The native shook his head, _"No, it seemed to be coming down of its own will."_

"Did you see where it was landing?" If this was a rescue as he thought it might be then he wanted to find them not the other way around. The Palkwe gave a quick nod of confirmation. "Take me to it." The Palkwe nodded once more, commenting that there were several others going to investigate as well.

Leaving the safety of the village the foliage of the jungle swallowed the sunlight, turning it into dim light. To the careful ear the basic morse code language could be heard over the normal sounds of animals. The communiqué was simply to allow others to know where they were.

Their pace was fast, though Kale was a good deal slower than the one leading him. He wasn't built for this place no matter how long he had stayed here. They were drawing closer to an area that had been marked off limits. It was the crash site of the Volatus and the gravesite of those that had perished in it. He could feel his stomach twist into a knot. He didn't want to go back, he didn't want to remember. But he couldn't let whoever was landing on this planet stay.

He listened closely to the communiqué. The rest of the group had the new comers surrounded. The group appeared to be the same as him but they hadn't crashed. The Palkwe were waiting on him to make contact, which made him nervous. He didn't know who these guys were or if they meant trouble. For all he knew they could be hunters looking for new and exciting prey to hunt. They could shoot him on site. There were just too many things he didn't know.

Arriving at the edge of the clearing that made up the wreckage of the Volatus, he was now able to see the craft that the strangers that had taken. It was a shuttle craft he didn't immediately recognize the design until he saw the people themselves. The Star Fleet uniforms were unmistakable. They wouldn't shoot him but he could help but feel the fire of an old anger spark up again.

He spoke loudly as he moved towards them, "Your five years too fucking late."

A/N [Rook2pwn]: Two things real quick.

One: As some of you may have noticed, there was a bit of symbolism with Jack being in a red shirt in the first chapter. I just want to say, I totally didn't pick up on that until after the fact. I didn't do that on purpose, I just picked a color at random. This will probably be one of many face-palm moments.

Two: A reference pic for the palkwe is linked in our profile. It's a first draft so it stands to reason that I'll update it at some point. Please check it out and tell me what you think.


	4. Chapter 4

AND! We're back! Roselynde here to start us off! Before we begin, I need to address a few things that Carrie (Our anonymous reviewer) mentioned.

Yes, I'm aware that I tend to ramble; unfortunately this is part of my ADHD and something that I'm working on (Hooray for finally having a beta! Peachly is totally awesome!)

As for this story turning into a Mary Sue, I can guarantee you guys that Rook and I would sooner throw in the towel than allow that to happen.

I was planning on touching on this later, but since it was brought up… no Danny is not a genius. She tends to see things differently than most otherwise would (there's more background info that will come in later chapters), hence why she's a contributor to papers. She does not have anything published under only her name, something that was again, going to be mentioned later, but I thought I'd clear that up right quick. So, sorry for the confusion there!

Last but not least, Thanks to Carrie and lele for reviewing our story! (We'd love more!) And thanks as well go to My3scape, Con4ti, and Black-Dirge for adding us to their alert list! WOO! I'll shut it now and get on with it!

~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~

Chapter Four

The three officers stopped, trapping Danny just outside of the shuttle. Despite all of the progress made over the centuries, the three men had moved into a defensive arc around the cadet. The cadet in question peered around the doctor's shoulders, attempting to get a look at whoever had spoken. Once she finally did, she simply stared. The young man was scruffy; his clothes patched a dozen times over, and a scowl that rivaled even McCoy's. Danny huffed, jumping in an effort to get a better view, barely managing to peep over Commander Spock's shoulder.

"Are you the only survivor?" Kirk finally asked, making himself as unassuming as possible as he stepped to the side slightly to let his sister forward, and so she'd quit hopping around. The natives finally moved from the cover of the jungle, surrounding the shuttle.

"Obviously. Your shuttle landed on the gravesite. Of most of them anyway. Now do yourselves a favor and fucking leave, you're not welcome here." He held his glare, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his faded hoodie.

"Well, that's really a matter of perspective, isn't it?" Denali pointed over at the wreckage of the small ship, "That sent out a distress signal."

Kale stared over at the ruined ship in disbelief, "You gotta be kidding me…" He sighed, running a hand over his face as he shook his head, "It's been five fuckin' years. Nobody came and there was no sign that anyone knew we were even out here. The bridge is practically buried! How the hell did it send out a signal?"

Denali frowned slightly, having pulled up the ship's flight registry as soon as it had been identified, "This planet is in a star system that's only recently been explored extensively. The flight registry didn't mention anything about you guys heading this way, so the search crews didn't know to look here."

The Vulcan officer nodded slightly in confirmation, "The midshipman is correct. The signal was weak when it was picked up by a freighter. The location was then noted and transmitted to Star Fleet. Due to the ship having been presumed lost, the Enterprise was given the mission of ascertaining its status and conducting a rescue mission."

"Look, as far as I knew, we were taking a short cut. We'd been out in space for almost a year, with just a few days for a break, and we just wanted to go home. I know you guys are just doing your jobs and all, but the longer you stay here, the more likely it is that you'll be killed and eaten. So why don't you get back on your shuttle and leave. There's nothing here to find." Kale explained as one of the humanoid lizards stepped up next to the young man.

McCoy completely ignored the argument, flipping open his tricorder and scanning the ragged youth. Jim shook his head in amusement as he watched his friend before turning his gaze back to the crash survivor, "See, that's where the trouble starts. There's whole thing with the Prime Directive, and you crashed right into it. This means that we get to clean up the mess."

The creature, a Palkwe as they found out later, chattered rapidly to his human companion, the speech punctuated occasionally by a low whistle. The youth sighed, carding his hair annoyedly, "I know Arc'el, but you hear them as well as I do, they're not leaving."

The Palkwe, Arc'el, communicated rapidly with his fellows for a moment, "Arc'el says that we need to move. We can go back to the village and sort this bullshit out."

"Great! We know your friend's name, but what about yours?" Kirk asked.

Kale's eyes narrowed slightly, "How about you get your guy to stop scanning me, and we'll go from there?" He shifted away from the Doctor, "Dude, you can see I'm fine, will you put that thing away already?"

"I'm a Doctor, not a 'dude.' So shut up and let me be the judge of whether or not you're healthy, kid." McCoy snapped, continuing to gather readings. Once he'd finished and pronounced the young men as healthy as could be given the circumstances, introductions were made.

"Kale Argyle. Now who the hell are you guys?" The youth smirked slightly as several hunters came forward to sniff at the newcomers.

"James T. Kirk. The Enterprise is my ship. The good Doctor is the ship's CMO, Leonard McCoy. Mr. Spock here is my first officer, and the midshipman is Denali Morgan." Jim offered, gesturing to each in turn.

"Call me Danny." The girl piped up, starting visibly when one of the Palkwe buried its nose in the collar of her jacket.

Twitching slightly, Danny gently pushed the curious hunter back, "Sorry big guy. Kinda need my space."

The hunter looked over at Kale questioningly, whistling to him, "Ka'tri says you're being very rude."

"Does he have to stick his nose down my shirt?" She asked, leaning away from the Palkwe as he stretched over for another sniff.

"It's the best way to get your scent, and you can't lie with it. You might wanna deal since the little ones will really invade your space. Plus, they won't let you in the village without making sure you don't pose a threat."

Denali made a small sound and held still after getting a rather meaningful look from the captain, who was likewise holding still for a check. The group of hunters chattered quietly, taking note of the information they had gathered before finally motioning for the away team to follow.

Kale stayed back to be sure no one was left behind, falling in step with Denali. "Oh and by the way Ka'tri is a girl." He mentioned before he moved to the front of the group, leaving Denali a little stunned.

"Hey, wait a minute! How do you tell them apart?" She called after him, only receiving a laugh in return. Frowning, she jogged to catch up with her commanding officer's and set the matter aside until later.

It was lucky that the village was not too far away. Any longer and it was likely that they would have been found by one of the planet's hostile creatures. Walking along the path, they were watched from afar by several other Palkwe, who constantly passed along messages back to the village.

"Fascinating. The inhabitants of this village seem to have developed an advanced method of communication using scouts. Due to their natural coloring, it appears as though they are able to pass relatively unseen through the surrounding habitat, and thus, relay their messages to the next member of the scout line." Spock commented.

Kale glanced back, looking for the most part surprised, "You're very perceptive."

"No, he's just a green-blooded hobgoblin." McCoy griped.

Within the village, the noise grew as the natives went about their own business. However, as word spread about the newcomers, the tasks were forgotten. Slowly, the Palkwe gathered to watch, chittering to each other and gesturing excitedly. The set up was obvious the further they went, rings of homes surrounding places of trade and meeting, with the homes along the outer edges newer than those nearest to the gathering places.

A group of Palkwe waited impatiently near the meeting area they approached, bouncing softly with excitement the closer the humans got. In truth, they were Palkwe in miniature, obviously the children that Kale had mentioned earlier. No sooner had Jim been revealed that the group leapt forward, tackling the Captain to the ground and sniffing at him enthusiastically. Kirk burst out laughing, wriggling around as the little ones found his ticklish spots, causing McCoy and Danny to both chuckle while the Commander simply raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. The children really admire leaders here, if you hadn't noticed. Doesn't help that you're from space." Kale mentioned, quirking the corner of his mouth in a partial smile.

"Alright! Alright! I give! C'mon, guys, let me up!" Jim laughed, managing to sit up as the youngsters chattered happily, each vying for his attention. It took a little maneuvering, but he managed to stand up at last, surrounded by his own little flock.

Denali laughed, "Captain, it looks like you have fan clubs on planet's you've never visited before."

Kirk turned one of his grins to his sister, patting one of the little Palkwe on the head, "That just shows you that Captain's really are awesome."

"If that ego of yours gets any bigger Jim, the Enterprise won't be able to leave orbit." McCoy poked him lightly in the shoulder as a reminder.

"Indeed. Mr. Argyle, since you seem familiar with the language native to this planet, perhaps you would be able to assist me in adding it to the universal translator." Spock intoned at last, turning his attention from his Captain's exploits to the young man.

"Yeah, whatever. The sooner you can talk to them on your own the soon I can stop playing babysitter. But at the moment I believe the elders wish to speak to you." Kale sighed, stuffing his hands once more into his hoodie.

Spock did not comment on the young man's attitude but instead directed his attention to the four Palkwe that approached them. Age on a Palkwe looked a bit strange. The feathers were longer and drooped, while the skin sagged and the bone plating looked scratched and worn.

The young Palkwe skittered away, knowing best that the elders were to be respected and to keep out of the way.

One of the elder Palkwe stared at the group for a moment before turning toward Kale and speaking in a slower than the other natives that they had encountered. Kale listened before speaking, "You are welcomed here for as long as you need to be. However, it would be wise to stay within the village for now. It would unfortunate if any of you were to fall victim to the animals out there."

"We're very grateful for their welcome and their advice." The captain said smiling at the elders. Kale on the other hand was resisting the urge to protest. He knew they meant well but this could only mean trouble, at least for him anyway.

A second elder spoke in faster tones than the previous. Again, Kale felt a bit of anger at the elders for being so welcoming. "Apparently they want to hold a special evening meal for all of you. A welcoming gift if you will. But since that will be in a few hours you are free to roam the village, just don't wonder out into the forest."

With that, the crowd dispersed, Kale walking away as quickly as he could. Though a few stayed and stared for a good long while their presence was somewhat forgotten. The away team was free to do as they wished. Spock decided to follow Kale and request that they work on the translator right away. Danny split from McCoy and Kirk to take a look at the village on her own.

"Well Bones it looks like we've got a bit of time to slack off." Kirk chuckled, giving McCoy a pat on the shoulder.

Passing by some of the trade houses, they found that several of the Palkwe paused to watch them. It took only a few minutes before they were approached by one of the natives holding two wooden cups of what looked like a purple fruit drink. At first McCoy had tried to wave the Palkwe off, knowing it might be better to refuse and save them from possible sickness. However, the Palkwe was insistent, refusing to back away. Kirk, not wanting to cause trouble, picked up the cup before his friend could stop him.

Taking a sip, he grinned and looked over at McCoy, "Don't worry Bones, it's only fruit juice." Leonard didn't looked all too convinced,

"If I get sick I'll blame it on you." The doctor took a swig of the drink and found himself liking it.

It was about ten drinks in and later that evening at the meal that the drink started taking effect. Kale had finished up with the translator and had gone to the large meeting hall were the feast was to be held with Spock. Only to find Danny munching on some trail mix she had brought along watching the captain and good doctor sing in loud, off key tones. The Palkwe were enjoying the show to say the least.

Spock, looking concerned, walked forward to quiet his captain down. Kale on the other hand moved over to Danny and sat down at the table beside her. "They…They didn't drink anything funny did they? Like a purple fruit drink?" He asked.

"Yup." Danny replied unconcerned.

"That's alcohol; they're only supposed to have one." Kale stated as he watched Spock grab Kirk's arm and pull him down from the table gently.

"Yup. That's why I didn't drink any. Never drink anything in a foreign place. Or that's what I'm told anyway." The midshipman answered again.

"How many did they have?" Kale asked.

"I think somewhere around eight. I came back somewhere after they started on the second one." She replied.

"Wonderful…" he muttered.

"Spock… I don' wanna go to bed." Kirk whined but didn't truly try pull away from his first officer's gentle pull.

"Captain I insist that you and Doctor McCoy go outside and calm down."Spock insisted.

"I wanna have one more drink. Last one, I promise. It's really good you should try some too."

Spock's eyebrow inched towards his hairline at the suggestion, "No, I believe I'll refrain from doing so." Looking over at Kale, "Mr. Argyle, I think it would be best to take the Captain and Doctor McCoy somewhere to rest."

"Guess the meal is off for tonight. I'll go ahead and show you guys where you'll be staying." Kale sighed, standing up from the table and motioned for the away team to follow.

He moved quickly outside and down the rows of houses before stopping beside one of the older homes, "This one has been empty for awhile, so it's yours for now. Make yourselves comfortable, there is water, oil lamps, and blankets inside. I'll come back in the morning."

Kale glanced over at Danny as she unbuttoned her jacket and slid out of it, leaving her in her turtleneck, "Shit, a strong breeze would blow you over. You ever heard of eating?"

She rolled her eyes, looking over at him as she pulled another baggie of trail mix from her bag and started munching, "I have a fast metabolism. Now if you don't mind… the Captain and CMO need their rest." She stepped back and swung the creaky wooden door shut.

"Bu' I'm not sleepy!" Kirk harrumphed as Spock lit one of the oil lamps.

"Yeah… I'ma 'greein' with Jimbo…" McCoy nodded, swaying dangerously.

"So I can see. How about you guys work on standing without falling over? And you know the best way to accomplish that?" Danny asked, holding the Doctor up and wincing when he leaned on her smaller frame.

"Wha?" He snickered faintly, propping his arm on the top of her head.

"By taking a quick rest! And once you do that, then maybe we'll see about dinner." She huffed slightly, refusing to comment on the fact she was being used as an arm rest.

"Tha's no' fair…" Jim pouted as Spock bundled him in a thermal blanket and settled him into a corner.

"Indeed." Spock replied, raising an eyebrow again.

Denali chuckled, guiding Bone's to his own corner and draping a blanket over him once he'd gotten settled. After finishing off her snack, Danny flopped down and draped her jacket over herself. Spock stiffened visibly when Jim wiggled over, pillowing against the Vulcan and dropping quickly into sleep as he mumbled something about Spock being snuggly warm. She started to grin, only to tense up in her own right when McCoy's head fell over into her lap, followed soon by the good Doctor's snoring.

"I think it's going to be a long night…" She grinned nervously over at Spock, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"An accurate assessment."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hello everybody, this is the Rook part of Rook2Rose. I am here to start us off. Quick note: We finally got someone to beta. I cannot say thank you enough MoonRose91. In addition, thank you to those of you who have added our story to your alert list.

Anyway, on with the story!

Chapter 5

"_Uh, Kale." The little boy answered allowing the little girl to pull him along, down through the hallways. _

_She looked back and smiled brightly at him. "Nice to meet you Kale." She said in a tone sweeter than before._

_He wondered for a moment where it had come from but let it slip as she guided him around corners and down halls, passing adults too busy to notice them. He looked around for the door with the number that he had taken time to memorize._

_Looking back at the girl it seemed as if she knew this place like she would know her home. Which was strange to him, this place looked like it was too big to memorize. Yet it was only minutes till they were at a set of double doors that read Pediatrics. Danny pushed through them with little concern and walked right in. She turned and asked him if he remembered the number of the room he was supposed to go to. _

"_193." He said and again she tugged him along with little need to persuade him._

_Once again it didn't take long. Outside he saw his mother standing there worried and then all of the sudden grateful to see him. He let go of Danny's hand and raced over to his mother, who embraced him warmly, while she approached more shyly._

"_Oh where in the world did you get to? You had me worried sick." His mother said picking her little boy up. _

"_Papa said I could get a soda but I got lost. Then she helped me find my way back."Kale explained turning in his mother's hold to point to the little girl standing a little bit away from them._

_The woman smiled and kneeled down so she could meet Danny eye to eye, "Thank you so much. That was very kind of you. What's your name?" She asked._

_Danny smiled sweetly, "I'm Danny."_

"_Well, thank you Danny."His mother was quick to notice the girl's attire but didn't mention it, "You must have spent a lot of time here to know your way around. Where are your parents?"Kale was lowered to the floor. _

"_They went to get some things, they'll be back to visit me soon." the little girl said with rehearsed ease. _

"_How about you stay here and play with Kale? I need someone to keep an eye on him." Kale's mother chuckled. _

"_Hey, I don't need a babysitter!"Kale exclaimed pouting and crossing his arms over his chest._

_The woman just laughed and ruffled her son's hair. "I need to call your father and tell him that you came back." she said standing, while pulling a cell phone from her pocket and flipping it open._

_They were able to play a little, talk a little too. Kale told her his dream of being an explorer that his dad and a few family friends were going to take him on a camping trip once he was old enough. But for now he had been given a compass to practice his directions with. It wouldn't do to get lost in the woods. She commented that it was an extremely old way of doing things, to which he replied that doing things the old way took more skill and patients. _

_He rolled his eyes; the comment was so typical of a girl in his own opinion. After tilting her head for a moment, Danny yanked her satchel into her lap and started rifling around in it. With a grin, she yanked out a purple bandana and quickly folded it into a wide band. _

_Danny reached over, grabbing his wrist and wound the material around his arm, tying it off, "If you're going to be an explorer, then you should have a bandana. And since you're not a girl, it should go on your wrist. Besides, you never know when it might come in handy, right?" She nodded to herself, rather pleased with the outcome. _

_Kale nodded softly, blushing slightly once she'd released his wrist. "Right!" _

_He agreed, nose wrinkling as he realized he had nothing to give her in return for the gift. Looking down at his compass he smiled and held it out to her, "Here, you can have this."_

_Danny just blinked a bit surprised and a bit confused, taking the item offered. "Don't you need it to be an explorer?" she asked. _

_Kale merely shrugged, "Not for long. I'm learning to navigate by constellations and you can always give it back to me when I see you again."_

"_You're coming back?"she asked, tone just a tad hopeful. _

_Kale shrugged but continued to smile, "Maybe, I dunno. Vulture always says that people have a tendency to gravitate back to each other."_

_Danny looked at the boy confused, "Vulture, a bird?" _

_Kale quickly shook his head, "No, no, he's-"_

_He cut off his explanation abruptly when he spotted his father in the corner of his eye, "Papa!" He shouted excitedly as the man came and picked up his son in a bear hug. _

"_Hey there kiddo. You gave us quite a scare." The man chuckled before his gaze fell on the little girl._

"_Why, hello there, little lady. Were you the one who helped my son?" Kale's father asked bending slightly to meet her gaze. _

"_Yes sir." she answered with a small smile. _

"_Sir! Oh you don't need to call me that. Name's Derrick, nice to meet you." the man said holding out his hand to her._

_She took it shyly and he gave it a gentle shake. The moment was interrupted once more by Kale's mother calling his father. _

"_Derrick, the doctor said we can take Jack now. He should be fine." she said smiling, now holding the youngest of their two children. _

_Derrick stood from where he had been stooping, still holding Kale in his arms. "Ah, alright, looks like we can hit the road. Alright kiddo, say bye k?" he told his son putting him down._

"_Bye Danny! Thank you!" The little boy said hugging the girl and smiling at her. Moments later he raced after his parents, Danny calling goodbye after him._

Kale blinked as he awoke from the dream, his head feeling fuzzy and warm, "Happy memories, who knew…"

Standing he ran a hand through his hair and went over to the bowl of water sitting on a small crate he had rescued from the shipwreck. There he splashed the water on his face and neck, a quick cleaning of the grime from yesterday. Pulling a shirt from an open case, he shook free of any insects that might have found a home there for the night and put it on. Not bothering to change his pants or anything other and putting his shoes on, he walked out to meet the landing crew that had spent the night here in the village.

Upon arriving at the hut, Kale found an interesting scene in front of him. It was Danny performing yoga but that wasn't the interesting part. What caught his eye was the young Palkwe, possibly only five years old on this planets' time, copying Danny's movements. Obviously, the little guy had no idea what he was doing and tumbled when unable to maintain his balance. He watched with interest as Danny helped the young one back up a couple of times before he became aware of the stomping behind him. Not that it was very loud, just that the ground of packed soil and twigs broke under the stomp of a very angry looking Palkwe.

He didn't have to guess twice that it was the mother of the young Palkwe that was copying Danny. He watched, brow corked, as the mother chatter angrily at not only her child but Danny as well before picking up said child and walking away.

Kale watched the Palkwe go before speaking up. "Kiddo must have run off before his mom woke up." He commented.

Danny frowned at him, "Yeah I got that. Can't believe I just got snarked at and have no idea what was said. How long have you been standing there?"

He shrugged, "A few minutes, nothing to get upset over. Anybody else awake?"

"Just Spock. The Captain and McCoy are sleeping off their hangovers." Danny sighed.

At this, Kale smirked, "They'll be fine in a few hours. I could always get something from the local doctor but I doubt they would enjoy it."

She looked at him with a curious yet skeptical look. "What would he give them?" She asked.

"She," Kale corrected, "would give them a nasty little compound that I'd rather not talk about. I've had my fill of it and I doubt they would enjoy it any more than their hangovers."

"Yikes." she muttered. Kale nodded in agreement, "No kidding."

It was then that Spock left the hut and spotted Kale, "Mr. Argyle, I believe we need to adjust the universal translator."

Kale corked a brow, "I thought we were done. Did you find something wrong?"

"Yes, some errors appeared." The Commander replied.

"Yeah, yeah, let's get on it." Kale stuffed his hands into his pockets and followed the Commander towards an adjacent hut.

Danny simply raised an eyebrow and shrugged, picking up her jacket and sliding it on before stuffing her feet back into her boots. With a sigh, she pulled a granola bar from her bag and nibbled on the treat. Unlike her brother, she wasn't exactly into the local cuisine. After checking on the two inebriated officers, Denali pulled out her communicator and called the Enterprise.

"Away team to Enterprise!"

"_Enterprise here, what can I do for you?"_ Uhura asked rather cheerfully.

"Just checking in Lieutenant. There was one survivor from the crash. The site's going to be a pain to clean up since it's a pretty remote location." She reported back so it could be logged officially.

"_I take it then that the Prime Directive wasn't an option?"_

"Nope. That got blown out the minute we found the survivor, Kale Argyle. Apparently he and the natives get along really well as far as we can tell. The survivor by the way, is working with Commander Spock on an update for the Universal Translator so we can actually communicate with them." Danny replied, leaning back against the hut and watching the natives going about their daily business.

"_Speaking of the Commander, how is everyone else doing?"_ Uhura asked.

"Commander Spock is his usual self I think, as for Bones and the Captain, well… they're sleeping off a hangover from some drink that's popular around here."

"_I knew it! Those two get into trouble all the time." _The officer laughed.

Danny laughed, "I'll let them know you said that when they get up!"

"_You do that, I'm sure Spock will once they're coherent enough."_ Uhura chuckled, finally calming down, _"Alright, well, I'll log everything in, you guys check back in later."_

"Will do! Away team out." Danny wrinkled her nose and flipped the device closed.

With the communicator tucked in her pocket, she turned to walk away only to find herself face to face with a rather old looking Palkwe. No, correction, ancient, even on the alien face the age was obvious, skin sagged, feathers drooped and frayed at the ends, and eyes were a near milky white. Danny was stilled by the steady gaze of the old Palkwe as he or she, the mid-shipmen honestly could see how Kale could tell the difference, clacked something softly before reaching out and patting her on the head.

Before she could even reply, the Palkwe had walked around here and away, thin tail swishing behind it. Danny just stared for a moment, raising an eyebrow, "Right, that was only a little weird."

Shaking her head, she wandered back into the hut, picking up her pack and rifling through it for a small case. After unzipping it, she tugged out a hypo and tugged the collar of her jacket down and pressed it against her neck, wincing slightly at the sharp sting. Once finished, she replaced the hypo in its place and stuffed it back into her bag. With another sigh, she pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering how she was going to get her brother and the doctor up and actually semi coherent before they were supposed to get started for the day.

Fortunately, the good doctor woke himself. Well somewhat, an incomprehensible groan left the older man's mouth and he turned to look at her with groggy eyes. "What's goin' on?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Nothing much, but we need to get you and Jim up and going." she said watching him with a cocked brow.

"Oh…" He grunted faintly, shuffling over to his bag to prepare a hypo for himself.

Danny snorted slightly, rolling her eyes for a moment before a familiar Palkwe poked her head into the room, chittering quietly to the human girl and gesturing to her. She blinked, pointing to herself. When the Palkwe nodded, she followed her out and tilted her head. Ka'tri pat her fondly on the head before grabbing hold of her hand and pulling the young human along to the hut Spock had taken for his work. After shooing her inside, she waited patiently as the Commander and Volutus survivor finished with their task.

"Excellent timing, midshipman." Commander Spock handed her a small pin for her jacket, "For the moment, this will have to do. Once we return to the Enterprise we be able fully adapt the Universal Translator with this language. Until then, keep this turned on and you will be able to understand the natives."

Denali nodded and pinned it to her collar, "Aye, sir."

Spock nodded and retrieved a few more of the before heading out to pass them to the rest of the crew. Kale simply shrugged and rolled his eyes in amusement as Ka'tri once more fetched her adopted charge, leading her towards another hut.

With the item pinned to her shirt, Danny could finally understand all the clicks and whistles, "The elders wish to see you and your friends. I do not know what they wish to say but there is nothing to worry over."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kale and the others follow them further towards the center of the village. The hut that they came to was older, decorated with vines that grew around the door. Ka'tri motioned for them to go in and remained outside. The elders were already there, a fire pit lit to light the dim and large hut. Five in all, they were old, some more youthful than other but the age was apparent. There was one among them that Danny recognized, the Palkwe that had approached her earlier sat silently to the right of the middle Palkwe.

The one in the center gestured for them to sit. "Please, do sit. We have much to discuss." he said, glancing over at Kale briefly who decided to stand next to the door away from the other humans.

Jim winced slightly; the hypo he'd gotten earlier still kicking in as he sat down, McCoy on one side and Spock on the other Danny took the last seat on McCoy's other side. She leaned off to the side as much as she could as Ka'tri began fussing, combing through her hair and settling the unruly locks into order.

~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~S~T~A~R~T~R~E~K~

Note from Roselynde:

WOO! We've gotten through five! I'm kind of excited about it. =O We actually do have a Beta, MoonRose91, unfortunately, neither Rook or I checked our messages on FF for ages. So yeah, we feel guilty as hell, and this is unbetaed. WE LUFF YOU MOON! PROMISE! We're weren't ignoring! So yeah, we're doing a special doodle! JUST FER YOU!

Anyway, that's all I've got to say, so I'm out! We'll catch you guys round next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: Eep! Roselynde here! Sorry for the delay everyone! I actually have a reason, though feeble as it may be! *hides* My thumb drive ate the chapter . BUT! Recovery is in fact possible! Hope you guys enjoy and we'll get these out much faster than this one!

Chapter 6

Once all were seated, the center Palkwe spoke first, "I apologize for the abrupt meeting, but there are a few issues we must speak to you about. My name is So'riel, the other elders are Risgora, Jakul, mi'Kora, and Vin'riq." Each was gestured to in turn, "We know you come from a place outside of our own world. You possess things that may help us."

Jim tensed at that, knowing full well what the regulations were on aiding a civilization that hadn't achieved warp. At the same time, the circumstances were anything but normal. The three officers glanced at each other, but none spoke as they listened to what the elders had to say.

"Many of our young are dying, few are able to hatch let alone reach maturity. As you have no doubt seen, we do not have the same capabilities that you and yours seem to possess. It is our hope that you will be able to assist us in keeping our little ones alive." The elder, Risgora; commented, flicking his gaze between each of the officers in turn.

"There are a lot of rules that our people have to live by. If you can give us some time in order to go over them and check in with those in charge, we can come to an arrangement. In the mean time, I'm sure that Doctor McCoy wouldn't mind taking a look at the youngsters and making sure that they're as healthy as can be expected." Jim managed after a pause.

The elders turned to each other and entered into a quiet conversation, too low for either human or Vulcan hearing to pick up. When they had reached a decision, they turned back, "That would be acceptable. We will gladly await the decisions of those above you and will assist your healer in whatever he needs." mi'Kora nodded faintly as she rose with her fellow Palkwe.

Vin'riq however was not so eager to let this meeting end quickly. "The other villages have to be informed first. Our kin deserve an equal share of the help we receive from these strangers." he spoke quickly, looking a tad miffed that something so important had been forgotten.

"Of course Vin'riq, our kin will receive their dues just as always. The messengers will be sent out to inform them of this event."So'riel answered, surprised by Vin'riq's touch of anger. However it was, perhaps, unsurprising to the rest given what has happened in the last five years. Vin'riq nodded, satisfied for now and So'riel turned to look at the group of outsiders once again. "Excuse Vin'riq's tone, he is right that we should share this with the other villages. I hope that won't be too much trouble."

Jim smiled and shrugged, "Not at all. I actually think things will go over better since you guys are willing to share the benefits."

"If that is all that is needed, then I believe the Captain and I will speak with our ship and have a message sent out immediately." Spock intoned, rising as well with the crew members.

"Yeah, if there's an extra hut where I can do readings and what not, I can go and get started." McCoy commented idly, checking his bag to see what supplies he had on hand.

"Of course." Risgora gestured lightly leading the doctor from the meeting.

"We would like to speak with the hatchling amongst you, if that is acceptable." mi'Kora quested after a moment as the group made ready to head to different tasks.

Kirk shot his younger sibling a warning look before nodding at last, "Of course, if there's any questions she can't answer feel free to find either myself or Commander Spock."

The two officers glanced at the cadet and when she nodded nervously, departed at last. Kale hesitated from his place near the door but stepped out as well. He had remained silent during this meeting, and he believed it was not his place to hear what the elders had to say to Danny. She smiled weakly at the remaining elder's, sitting back down when they reclaimed their own chairs. They watched her quietly for a moment, watching as she started to fidget nervously.

"Hatchling, we mean nothing by our questions, but we have been able to scent that you are not well. This brings us worry since you seem to be involved in many a dangerous task." Jakul rasped at last, leaning forward to get a better look.

Danny blushed ever so slightly, tucking her hair back in a knee jerk reaction, "Ah, I was when I was little. I spent a lot of time at the hospital…" At the blank looks, she expanded, "The healer's place. But I'm doing alright, it's probably just the medicine that I take you guys are picking up on."

So'riel's brow ridge raised slightly in amusement at the partial truth, "As you like little one. It is our hope that you will not mind Ka'tri's attention. She had the misfortune of her hatchling dying a few months ago, and she seems to have taken a liking to you."

"Uh, sure I suppose, hasn't really bothered me." She shrugged, blinking when the Palkwe pat her on the head lightly as everyone rose again.

"Good. Then that is all we had to confirm. Stay close to your clan little one!" They bid her off and gathered in conference when she'd finally left.

Danny sighed faintly in relief and departed, once more joined by her self-proclaimed guardian who led her back to the huts. With a gentle chittering, Ka'tri led her human charge back to her own hut.

Bones grumbled annoyedly, relaying orders back to his team on the ship, telling them of the things he would need sent down before ending the communication to look exasperatedly at his friend and captain.

"You know it's all well and good to say that we can help them, but getting records started on everyone here is going to be a pain in the ass, and that's even with aide from my medical team." He griped, running a hand over his face as if to mitigate the oncoming headache.

"Indeed, Doctor." Spock agreed. There was a small pause before he spoke again. "What is your assessment of the young man who has been living here?" he quested at last as he checked some information on his PADD.

"Kid's got a few issues, but I'm no expert on psychology or anything like that. He'll have to have some kind of counseling, no doubt, but we'd either have to call in a professional or take him to one of the Star Bases." Bones shrugged slightly. "After what he must have been through I wouldn't doubt it." Jim agreed.

"Interesting," the commander turned to look over at his captain and quirked an eyebrow upwards, "Captain, it has been noted in Starfleet records, that there is a psychiatrist aboard the USS Farragut-A."

"Hey, good point, Spock. I suppose we could have them swing by our way since they're in a nearby sector. That and we can't stick around. The cleanup of the crashed ship is going to take longer than we can afford. Another ship was going to have to take over anyway." Jim grinned at that.

"Perhaps, however it might be more expedient for the young man's overall health if he were to stay in one place once he is removed from this planet. In effect, this would reduce the mental and emotional trauma that would be likely to occur." Spoke commented idly.

"The hobgoblin's got a point Jim, much as I hate to agree with him on it. I believe there's a man working on the Farragut-A that could help us. I've been to a few lecture's that this guy has given, he's one hell of a doctor, and we could certainly use him on board. Not only for this kid, but also for everyone else on board." Bones agreed after a moment, sinking back into one of the hammocks that had been provided, "He probably won't be to happy about leaving his partner, though..."

"His partner? Don't tell me, he's married?" Jim wrinkled his nose faintly, not pleased with the idea of separating a couple.

"Yeah, last I heard his... Ah... Husband... Is also a midshipman in the star cartography department." McCoy stumbled over how to phrase that particular relationship.

"He's gay? Huh... Wouldn't have thought it, but whatever, yeah, I'll put in for the request and see if they can spare the doctor. Shouldn't be all that difficult or anything once we tell them of the situation here." Jim pulled out his communicator and punched in for the Enterprise.

"Enterprise, here." Lieutenant Uhura answered.

"Hey Uhura, I need you guys to get a hold of the Farragut-A and request the immediate transfer of..." he looked over to Bones for the name.

"Serraph Taberleigh. Oh and tell her to send down some extra medical supplies and staff from the medbay, I'd rather not be swarmed by these over grown lizards." McCoy stayed.

"Doctor Serraph Taberleigh, we could use him down here on planet side and for some other things. Send the paperwork over to Starfleet and the logs that we've had recorded. Also, see if you can get his partner transferred to the Enterprise once he finishes up his tour year. I'd hate to separate a couple. If the Farrgut's could help with the removal of the crashed ship as well, that would be great."

"On it, Captain, I'll report back as soon as we have an answer, I'll open a channel with the Farrgut-A and let them know of our situation and see if they are willing to accommodate." Uhura answered professionally.

"Great! Get back to me as soon as you hear from the Farrgut. Kirk out." Jim grinned, flipping the device closed and pocketed it, moving to help his Chief Medical Officer and First Officer in setting up the make-shift medical office and arranging space for the supplies that was to arrive by another shuttle craft directed by Bones.

As always, news got around quickly and occasionally the parent of child, or multiple children, would peek in on the doctor and inquire about the checkups. By the mere amount of those asking, it seemed like McCoy had his work cut out for him. Looking outside it was apparent that this was no small favor that they were doing for this village. The Palkwe were waiting just outside. Families of up to five, with or without the second parent, took seats on the ground. Gathered close to their ailing children. They had even arranged themselves in order of most medical need.

How they were going to treat all of these kids, McCoy didn't know. But he was sure as hell going to try.


	7. An Update

Hey folks, Rook here. Sorry, no this is not a new chapter, instead this is just an update to let you guys know why it's taking so freaking long. *glares at Rose*

Okay first off, Rose was supposed to at the very least start the chapter. However refusing my help, she continued on, on her own. However, as luck would have it, she lost the flash drive containing the chapter. When she subsequently found the flash drive, the file was corrupted and there was no way to retrieve the chapter. So she had to start from scratch.

The second incident; her computer broke. Again, I offered to just do the chapter on my own but again she said she could do it. Therefore, we had to wait until she could afford to buy a new laptop while she hand wrote the chapter.

Third incident; I moved. Yup, no joke. I moved across the country with my family because of my dad's job and had to reapply to a new college (with all that entails) as well as move into new (20 year old) house. It's been kind of hectic so I haven't been able to chew my friend Rose out to get her butt moving on that chapter now that she's got a shiny new laptop. *sigh* And now that we're finally settled and I've been able to contact Rose, for more than a few offhand texts, and ask about the chapter…she says she scrapped it and started over, again. *facedesk* I am very sorry folks. I did not think so many things could go wrong for writing one fic.

She says she has a few pages down so I can only guess that it'll take possibly another week or two. And that's being optimistic. For those of you still reading/watching this fic, thank you for sticking with us I honestly cannot say how glad I am that any of you are still interested.


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